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1 .2002
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I pn
I t 8 Wm I f I
It's a gay, gay, gay, gay world
The Portland International Film Festival
returns for its 25th year
7/S
7 ^
smattering of programs offered by the
25th Portland International Film Festival
p have queer themes. Here’s a quick run
down so you don’t have to search
through their entire guide desperately seeking
the word “gay.” (W e did it for you.)
M uch A do A bout S omething
Australia
T
Celebrates
its
7
th
With a benefit for Our House of Portland, a residential
care facility for people with AIDS.
February 5— 7 will be business as usual
but Wild Abandon will donate
4 0 % of all proceeds to Our House.
2411 SE Belmont
503.232.4458
6KTB0Y
LOVES
MARC
hese documentaries by two o f New
Zealand’s leading gay filmmakers portray
two atypical gay men. Both films are auto
biographical in style and use images to illus
trate or to counterpoint the musings o f their
idiosyncratic protagonists. In Peeptoe, a man
talks about his obsession with women’s shoes,
in the process revealing a warmhearted indi
vidual who finds beauty in the most unlikely
o f professions. T h e celebration o f male beauty
as a form o f gay religion is called into ques
tion in G o d as the filmmaker and his young
Indian assistant traverse the subcontinent to
interview people who have relocated in
search o f spiritual fulfillment. (6 pm Feb. 14,
9 pm Feb. 19 at Bnxidw ay M etroplex.)
P ossible L oves
Brazil
Anniversary
Reservations
Recommended
here has been much speculation about
whether Shakespeare really wrote Shake
speare, and if he did not, who did? Filmmaker
Michael Ruhbo plays devil’s advix:ate, pasing the
query to scholars less than thrilled with the sug
gestion. His prime candidate to have penned
some of the Bard’s work is the witty, iconoclastic
(and rather flamboyant) ptxn Christopher Mar
lowe. The film mingles interviews, readings and
performance clips in its playful investigation of
this literary mystery, and Marlowe’s eye for the
hoys is not overlooked. (2 pm Feb. 16, 9 pm
Feb. 21 at Whitsell Auditorium.)
N aughty L ittle P eeptof V
G od , S reenu and M e
N ew Zealand
omething happened to Carlos 15 years ago
that changed the course of his life. Now, three
possible outcomes are offered in this romantic
fantasy from Sandra Wemeck. In the first version,
he is a bored husband desiring an affair hut fearful
of losing his comfortable security. In the second,
Carlos is divorced and embarks on a passionate
relationship with Pedro, a handsome soccer player.
The third possibility puts him into a series of disas
trous relatioaships. The question is: Which story is
real? This winner of the Latin American Cinema
prize at the Sundance Film Festival explores
chance, destiny and desire. (9:45 pm Feb. 15,
8:45 pm Feb. 18 at Broadway Metroplex.)
T he B usiness of F ancy D ancing
United States
ased on his Ixxik of the same name, Sherman
Alexie makes his directorial debut with this
study of a rich, famous, gay Native American
in the Northwest. Seymour Polatkin left the
Spokane “rez" after high school and found a bright
future of academia and literary recognition in
Seattle. At the news of the death of a childfuxxJ
friend, he must return home to a world that no
longer recognizes him, departing from his white
partner, who contests, “They’re not your tribe any
more; I’m your tribe.” A study of the clashing of
multiple identities and the place of the nruxlem
Native American in a postcolonial land. (6:45 pm
Feb. 9 at Broadway Metroplex, 7:30 pm Feb. I Oat
Whitsell Auditorium.)
MARC ACITO
Quite simply the world's
finest Queer columnist and
Portland's premier gay icon
9fpzv appearing in eacH a n d every issue o f Ju s t Out
Jessica Stein might have found a date worth having
K issing J essica S tein
United States
he winner of the C ritic’s Special Jury and
Audience Awards at the Los Angeles Film
Festival, this romantic comedy trails neurot
ic, single Jessica in her quest for the love of a
gtxxl man (or even a decent date). Her quirky
friend Joan, smug ex-boyfriend/boss and Jewish
matchmaking mother don’t help, hut an intrigu
ing personal ad might— except it’s in the
“Women Seeking W om en" category. Has Jessica
been kxiking for love in all the wrong places?
Thus begins a journey toward self-discovery and
the courage to engage the future. (8 pm Feb. 23
at Whitsell Auditorium.)
R ick & S tev e : T he H appiest G ay C ouple
in A ll the W orld (E pisode 3)
United States
his animated short depicts the further adven
tures of the beloved gay sweethearts. It’s part
of S/iort Cuts II, which also includes “Bean
Cake,” winner of the Palm d’Or at Cannes, about
a 1933 Tokyo schcxilhoy who learns some things
are more important than his favorite snack.
“Cheek to Cheek” is a celebratory story of a
woman who, with the help of her best friend, dis
covers laughter, tap dancing and the joys of living.
“Mtxlem Daydreams” is a suite of three Chaplin-
esque pieces exploring the theme of movement
engendered by day-to-day life. (1:15 pm Feb. 17,
8:30 pm Feb. 18 at Guild Theatre.) JH
The P ortland I nternational F ilm F estival
runs Feb. 8 to 23. For a complete listing o f all
programs, prices and locations call 503-221-1156
or visit www.nwfilm.org.
Caught between two worlds in T h e Business
of Fancy Dancing
Compiled by LlSA BRADSHAW